Former Ukrainian commander says Russia’s ability to advance has been broken
Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, says heavy Russian losses, technological advances and attacks on weak points have stabilised the front and “broken” Moscow’s ability to advance. He said Russia seized a net 61 sq km in the first half of 2026, while the Institute for the Study of War found that it lost more territory than it gained in September. Syrskyi claimed Russia’s overall losses were six times Ukraine’s and deaths up to 11 times higher, figures that cannot be independently verified because neither side publishes official totals.
Speaking in his first interview since President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him in the summer, Syrskyi rejected accusations that he was too old-fashioned and that delayed withdrawal orders caused avoidable losses around Avdiivka, Vuhledar and Pokrovsk. He argued that Ukraine faced overwhelming Russian advantages in aircraft, bombs, artillery and trained manpower. He also defended the 2024 Kursk incursion as necessary to divert Russian forces and give exhausted Ukrainian brigades time to recover.
Syrskyi blamed disagreements with then-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov on procurement priorities, saying an emphasis on drones left shortages of other front-line equipment. He nevertheless said drones now cause 80% of Russian losses and predicted an increasingly automated war involving robots and AI, while insisting human control would remain decisive. He also urged European allies to prepare for the possibility of a wider war with Russia.
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